The present disclosure concerns a product dispensing system employed in point of sale merchandising.
The present disclosure relates particularly to shelving systems for feeding containers forward. More specifically, it relates to retaining members that are mounted to divider assemblies which can be employed in modular gravity fed shelving systems, such as for fragile products including individual thin-walled containers of refrigerated foods such as yogurt. Yogurt is typically sold in individual cups or containers in supermarkets and the like. Traditionally, yogurt is sold in refrigerator cases which can include generally horizontal shelves, on which a customer needs to pull the product forward if the product is not at the front of the shelf, or on somewhat downwardly slanted shelves, which feed product forward by gravity. It should be appreciated that pusher assemblies can also be employed to urge yogurt containers or other product containers such as cream cheese, butter or sour cream containers or tubs forward on a shelf. Many such containers have planar bases and planar tops so that they can be stacked two or three high on merchandising shelves.
Gravity feed systems are known to move products towards the front of a shelf display or storage case. While it is known to gravity feed yogurt and the like refrigerated dairy products towards the front end of a display case, the currently known retainers positioned at the front end of such shelves are not optimal. More specifically, it is known to provide tabs or like blocking elements or retainers attached to opposing side walls or dividers mounted on the shelf to define a channel for holding a column of product. Such tabs are not particularly sturdy and may become damaged. Since these blocking elements are generally fastened to the dividing wall, the replacement of the tabs may necessitate the replacement of the divider wall itself. Thus, a need exists for a shelving system which would allow the replacement of such blocking elements without the need of replacing the divider wall itself. In other words, there is a need for blocking elements which are selectively detachable from the divider wall to which they are attached.
A need also exists for a shelving system in which the divider walls are so mounted to the display shelf that they do not move laterally as product is either withdrawn from the shelf or restocked on the shelf. Thus, a need exists for a shelving system which would allow the stocking, display and sale of various products including dairy items held in containers, which would overcome the deficiencies of prior art shelving systems.